With all due respect to the fact that Hong Kong successfully staged the 2008 Olympic Games Equestrian events as well as the East-Asian Games, but the 1 week countdown to Hong Kong’s BIGGEST sporting week starts in a couple of days!
Here is what the week looks like so far:
Wednesday March 24, 2010 Kowloon Rugby Fest 2010
Venue: Kings Park Sports Ground, Wylie Road, Kowloon
Wednesday & Thursday March 24-25, 2010 GHF HKFC Tens
Venue: HK Football Club, Happy Valley
Friday March 26, 2010 Cable & Wireless Worldwide HK Women’s Rugby Sevens
Venue: HK Football Club/HK Stadium (Cup Final)
Friday – Sunday, March 26-28, 2010 Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens
Venue: HK Stadium, So Kon Po
Other rugby-related events:
SAAHK Sevens Dinner
The Southern African Association in Hong Kong’s annual Sevens Dinner takes place at the HKFC on Wednesday March 24. This year’s guest speaker is the popular TV commentator Hugh Bladen, also known as the voice of SA rugby. The Springbok Sevens Team will of course also be in attendance.
Hugh will probably also have several other speaking engagements around the city and we’ll bring you news about that as it becomes available.
Tens Dinner
The Ten’s Dinner will this year be open to the public. It takes place at the HKFC on Thursday evening (March 25) Fee: HK$300
More information about these and other events will be updates as they become available.
Organisers of the GFI Hong Kong Football Club Tens 2010 announced the line-up for this year’s tournment.
Sixteen teams comprising of former and future stars will come from every corner of the globe to celebrate 25 years of the Tens alongside the best that local rugby can offer. Started in 1986 to celebrate the centenary of one of Asia’s iconic rugby venues, the Hong Kong Football Club, the tournament has earned a reputation as the world’s premier ten-aside competition and the unofficial kick off of rugby week in Hong Kong.
Sevens fans will be excited to know that rugby legend Waisale Serevi will be returning to Hong Kong as a Tens player, lining up with the Hong Kong Barbarians. Serevi should be a useful addition to the Barbarians, a team drawn from players that play locally in the domestic league but who fall outside of the various eligibility requirements required to represent Hong Kong.
Speaking about his “new” team from Papua New Guinea where he is coaching the Men’s Sevens side, Serevi said “I am excited to try my hand at Tens, especially back in Hong Kong. I understand that the Baa baas won the Plate in 2008 and I want to go one better in 2010.”
Defending Cup champions Aliens, runners-up Alternative New Zealand Legends and Plate champions Penguin International RFC are all returning for another tilt at the Tens title in Hong Kong.
Samurais International, Scatterlings of Africa, Borneo Eagles, Australian Country Invitational, Germany’s Wild Titans and the KIR Club Pyrenees are just a few of the international complement appearing at the Hong Kong Football Club at the end of the month.
Befitting their status as returning champions, the Aliens are the tournament top seeds and head Pool Awhere they will be joined by last year’s debut side and eventual Bowl winners, Scatterlings of Africa, which will again be led by former Springbok flanker Bob Skinstad. Australian Country Invitational and mainland side China Agricultural University, China’s first established rugby club and a nursery for Team China, round out the pool.
Scatterling of Africa at last year’s GFI HK Tens (Pics: Mike Jansen)
Pool B sees 2009 Cup runners-up Alternative New Zealand Legends in the top slot alongside the Wild Titans from Germany, the Hill & Associates Hong Kong Barbarians and British Forces side Flying Kukris.
Pool C is headed by the world-famous Penguin International RFC under ex-Scotland coach Frank Hadden and Steve Hill. The Penguins will be out for revenge after reaching the final in 2007 and 2008 and being the ranked as the tournament’s top seed in 2009 only to bow out in the Cup quarter final against Aliens. Last year’s Plate win will not be enough to satisfy this brood of hungry Penguins.
Another UK-based team features in Pool C, Samurai International, who have announced that this year they will be dedicating their performance in memory of their former manager Colin Hillman, who was also the former Technical Coach for the Wales Sevens team before passing away last summer. 2009 Shield Champions Cardiff University and hosts Hong Kong Football Club complete the Pool.
Pool D is topped by tournament fourth seeds Borneo Eagles. Also in Pool D is the KIF French Pyrenees team featuring towering forward Patrick Tabacco who was capped 25 times for France including at Rugby World Cup 2003. The Irish Vikings and Old Boys complete Pool D.
With the Hong Kong Sevens 2010 and Hugh Bladen’s appearance at the SAAHK’s Sevens Dinner fast approaching, I was planning to introduce all our readers to a blog called “Over to Hugh.” Run by two very enterprising young blokes called “Blades” and “Chowgaps,” Over to Hugh parodies the famous South African commentator using everything from the real Blades’ love for a good Scotch to his trademark words and phrases.
Catch Hugh Bladen at the SAAHK’s Sevens Dinner in March 2010.
However, in the light of the sad passing of “the voice of rugby” Mr Bill MCLaren last month, a video on their website made me decide to use this opportunity to give you a sneak preview of “Over to Hugh” while paying tribute to the great Scotsman.
William Pollock “Bill” McLaren CBE (16 October 1923 – 19 January 2010) was a Scottish rugby union commentator. Until his retirement in 2002, he was known as ‘the voice of rugby’. Renowned throughout the sport, his enthusiasm and a memorable turn of phrase endeared him to many rugby lovers the world over.
The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union announced that after yesterday’s successful online ticket sale, the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevensis now sold out. Online and telephone sales opened at 10am (Hong Kong time) on Saturday January 16 and by 3pm the SOLD OUT signs for the 5000 ticket allotment went up.
With strong demand from local and overseas audiences, the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens expects to welcome 120,000 visitors over three days from March 26 – 28, 2010.
As in the past, the HKRFU made 5,000 tickets available to the members of the public who are not directly involved in local rugby. Combined with ticket sales to members of local rugby clubs and other rugby stakeholders fully 75% of the 40,000 event tickets were sold to Hong Kong residents.
Despite the customary delays for ticketing for events of this scale, the ticketing agent system continues to be the most convenient and safe means of distributing tickets to the public.
Mr Warrick Dent, Head of Commercial, Communications & Events for the HKRFU commented on today’s ticket sale saying, “The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union is satisfied that today’s sale proceeded smoothly in light of the high demand. We are pleased to have recorded another sell out and want to thank the Hong Kong community for their continued support. We look forward to another fantastic Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens this March.”
For more information on the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens visit www.hksevens.com
1995 Rugby World Cup winner and Springbok rugby player Marius Hurter (the most aptly-named tight-head rugby player in the world) spoke at the Gala Charity Premiere of the movie Invictus.
(Picture insert: Ms. Tembi Tambo, Consul-General: SA Consulate in Hong Kong/Macau)
This is Part 2 of his chat with Robbie McRobbie of the Hong Kong Rugby Union:
As a Saffa rugby supporter living abroad, I must admit at being chuffed that the rugby season is about to start back home. The International Rugby Board’s Sevens World Series resumes with the New Zealand-leg in Wellington on the 5th of February, followed by the USA event in Las Vegas a week later.
Another highlight of the southern hemisphere pre-season is Western Province playing neighbours Boland at the brand-spanking Greenpoint Stadium on February 5. Then, on February 12 the Super 14 kicks off when local franchises The Cheetahs take on The Bulls. The Stormers play The Lions the following day, while The Sharks play New Zealand’s Chiefs.
The newest landmark on the Cape Town skyline, the Greenpoint Stadium.
But I digress. The Asia season is of course in full swing and local clubs are taking requests for Hong Kong Sevens tickets (unfortunately members only). In a previous post, I wrote about the movie Invictus that tells the story of how Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) joined forces with Francois Pienaar (played by Matt Damon) in winning not only the 1995 Rugby World Cup, but also the hearts and minds of South Africans from all walks of life.
The local custodians of the game, the Hong Kong Rugby Unionhas joined forces with Warner Brothers Pictures as well as Standard Chartered to organise a Gala Charity Premiere on Wednesday 13th January at the Elements Mall in Kowloon Tong. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Operation Breakthrough charity programme which is a joint HKRFU – HKG Police charity that targets at risk youth and engages them in sports like rugby to keep them occupied and instill positive values.
Special guest at the sold-out event will be Springbok Marius Hurter, a member of the triumphant 1995 South African rugby team.
Springboks Os Du Randt (left) and Marius Hurter (right) showing off the RWC 1995 spoils.
Invictus opens in Hong Kong on Thursday, January 14.
In case you haven’t noticed, the 2009/2010 season of the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) Sevens World Series kicks off in Dubai in just over a week’s time. Coach Paul Treu’s Springbok Sevens Team is firmly ensconced in their Dubai hotel in anticipation of their Dubai Title defence.
If it genuinely passed you by (It better be! Check my angry face!) don’t be concerned, Howzit-HongKong.com’s sister website BlitzBokke.com is firmly on TOP of things! Just pop in over at the website for everything you need to know about what’s happening in Dubai and all the other tournaments in the Series. There are stories about the Bokke’s new playing strip, their new Captain, stories from fans across the world and many more.
The BlitzBokke is in the favourable position of having to defend their titles in the first two tournaments of the Series: Dubai (5-6 December) and George, South Africa a week later so…
Stay tuned for all the action!
Bokke Bo!
Top Gun se Gat! Die ouens is WOES en hulle VATTIKAKKIE!
For those who are not aware, Hong Kong will be playing Japan as part of the Asian 5 Nations Rugby Tournament this weekend.
If you’re looking for some local international rugby action this weekend, look no further than the Hong Kong Football Club this weekend, Saturday May 2, 2009. The Hong Kong Boys will take on Asian powerhouse Japan right here in Happy Valley.
This year’s 5Nations, the second year of the HSBC Asian Five Nations (A5N) Top 5 competition kicked off with at the beginning of this week with Korea hosting debutants Singapore in Seoul and Japan hosting Kazakhstan at the Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Osaka and continues in Hong Kong this weekend.
Hong Kong flanker Nigel Clarke tries to control the ball against Kazakhstan in last year’s HSBC Asian Five Nations match at the Hong Kong Football Club.
The Springboks beat fellow-Africans Kenyans in emphatic style during the Cup Final of the Adelaide Sevens earlier today. After losing to the Fijians in a tough battle during the Hong Kong Sevens a mere week ago, one can’t but ask the question:
Why NOT Hong Kong Boys?
During last years Hong Kong Final, in front of a packed hong Kong Stadium, the Bokke again failed to close down the New Zealanders, only to win the Adelaide Sevens a week later!
With their win in Australia, the Springboks have taken to sole lead on the IRB Sevens World Series Log with 104 points, with nearest rivals England 28 points adrift at 76 points.
For all the action from this past weekend’s Adelaide Sevens, visit:
Outsiders SOC GEN Pyrenees stormed into the Cup round on a day of upsets at the GFI HKFC Tens on Wednesday (March 25).The French team won all three of their Pool B matches on day one of the tournament at Hong Kong Football Club, including a stunning 7-5 upset of second seeds Aliens. Pyrenees – with former French international scrumhalf Philippe Carbonneau pulling the strings – also recorded a 17-7 victory over the HKRFU Chairman’s X and beat China Agricultural University 49-0.
“Everyone is very happy,” said Pyrenees co-manager Bruno Leroy. “The key game was obviously against Aliens. We were leading 7-0 when we got a yellow card and at that time we really showed we were all together. “Although Aliens scored a try while we were down to nine men, we defended very well and got the victory.”
Pyrenees won the fourth-tier Shield on their Tens debut last year and were not expected to put up such a strong challenge the big teams this time around.
“We didn’t expect to finish first in the pool and now we will try to go as far as possible in the Cup, but of course we will need some luck as well,” added Leroy.
Aliens won their other two games to finish second in the pool and secure a place in the Cup competition on Thursday (March 26).
Hosts Hong Kong Football Club produced another shock result with a 7-5 victory over South African newcomers Scatterlings of Africa, who had 2007 Rugby World Cup winner Bobby Skinstad in their line-up.
That victory helped Club to second place in Pool D – and a place in the Cup – behind winners Borneo Eagles.
Scatterlings, the fourth seeds, finished third in the group and will play in the Bowl competition.
Top seeds Penguins won Pool A with three victories over Devils Advocate Wanchai Wanderers (61-5), Wild Titans (22-7) and Hill & Associates TROX AITCS HK Barbarians (22-5).
“Our aim today was three wins and we achieved that, so we’re happy,” said Penguins manager Craig Brown. “Things didn’t always go our way and the second two games were quite hard, which we’re pleased about because we don’t want to turn up on day two undercooked.”
The Titans, the first German team to compete in the Tens, finished second in the pool to progress to the Cup.
No.3 seeds the Alternative New Zealand Legends – sponsored by a group of 15 rugby fans from the hedge fund industry – topped Pool C with victories over the Champion Systems Overseas Old Boys (36-0), Playmore Phantoms (17-12) and the Irish Vikings (47-0).
Playmore Phantoms won their other two matches to advance to the Cup.
Sixteen club and invitational teams from around the world are competing in the Tens. The tournament concludes on Thursday with knockout matches for the Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield. Play begins at 10:15am and tickets costing HK$200 can be bought at the gate.
The Tens is once again title sponsored by global cash and derivatives broker GFI
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